NAIROBI, Kenya – Community leaders in Nairobi’s Mukuru Kwa Njenga settlement have raised alarm over what they describe as a looming wave of illegal evictions disguised as part of the government’s affordable housing and infrastructure development agenda.
In a strongly worded statement, the Mukuru Community Justice Centre (MCJC) accused state officials of planning to forcibly displace residents from the area under the pretense of resettling them into newly built housing units.
The group claims that the actual beneficiaries of the units are unknown to the community and are believed to be outsiders.
“We categorically state that the actual residents of Mukuru Kwa Njenga are not the beneficiaries of these housing units,” said MCJC. “The so-called beneficiaries remain unknown to the local community and are widely believed to be outsiders falsely posing as Mukuru Kwa Njenga residents.”
The group warned that unless the housing allocation process is made transparent and backed by a credible verification system, the government’s actions amount to deception.
“Without any form of enumeration or credible registry, it is misleading and dishonest for government agencies to claim that these units are being awarded to genuine Mukuru Kwa Njenga residents,” MCJC added.
President William Ruto commissioned the first phase of the Mukuru Housing Estate on Tuesday, highlighting it as a cornerstone of his administration’s affordable housing programme.
But residents and activists argue the project is being used to mask land grabs and displacement of low-income communities.
MCJC also cited concerns over reports that planned evictions are being justified under the guise of constructing the Catherine Ndereba Road, part of ongoing infrastructure upgrades in the informal settlement.
The group alleged that such projects are being exploited to clear land for speculators rather than benefit the community.
“The evictions are being justified by falsely claiming that those being evicted have already been resettled,” MCJC said. “This is not only untrue, it is a deliberate attempt to displace vulnerable communities for the benefit of land grabbers and powerful interests.”
The organisation pointed out that legal proceedings over land and housing rights in Mukuru Kwa Njenga are still active in court.
Any eviction at this stage, they said, would be in direct contempt of court.
“We demand an immediate halt to all eviction plans in Mukuru until the court process is fully concluded,” the statement read.
MCJC further criticized the role of state administrators—including chiefs, deputy county commissioners, and police officers—accusing them of taking unlawful roles in enforcing evictions.
The group said such actions contravene Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, which requires transparency and adherence to due process in public development.
In recalling previous violent evictions, MCJC demanded justice for affected residents, including Vincent Nyamai, who survived a gunshot wound; Samson Odongo, who died during a 2021 eviction; and seven-year-old Joseph Ombata, who was killed by a bulldozer in Mukuru Kwa Ruben last year.
“Kenya must uphold the rule of law, respect court orders, and stop weaponising development against the poor,” said the group.
